jolt
to jar, shake, or cause to move by or as if by a sudden rough thrust; shake up roughly: The bus jolted its passengers as it went down the rocky road.
to knock sharply so as to dislodge: He jolted the nail free with a stone.
to stun with a blow, especially in boxing.
to shock emotionally or psychologically: His sudden death jolted us all.
to bring to a desired state sharply or abruptly: to jolt a person into awareness.
to make active or alert, as by using an abrupt, sharp, or rough manner: to jolt someone's memory.
to interfere with or intrude upon, especially in a rough or crude manner; interrupt disturbingly.
to move with a sharp jerk or a series of sharp jerks: The car jolted to a halt.
a jolting shock, movement, or blow: The automobile gave a sudden jolt.
an emotional or psychological shock: The news of his arrest gave me quite a jolt.
something that causes such a shock: The news was a jolt to me.
a sudden, unexpected rejection or defeat: Their policy got a rude jolt from the widespread opposition.
Slang. a prison sentence.
Slang. an injection of a narcotic.
a bracing dose of something: a jolt of whiskey; a jolt of fresh air.
Origin of jolt
1Other words from jolt
- jolter, noun
- jolt·ing·ly, adverb
- joltless, adjective
- un·jolt·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use jolt in a sentence
To see why, lets look at JOLTS, a data series from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which tracks job openings and turnover.
Did The Government Cause Our Long-Term Unemployment Problem? | Megan McArdle | April 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe coldness of his body through the bag jolts me like an icicle through my heart.
Now dying of cancer, the Dreyfus Affair jolts him self-rediscovery.
The swelling made it hard to walk, since it was concentrated in my lower legs, and every step sent jolts of pain up my legs.
A light turns read ahead of us, and the taxi jolts to a halt the driver muttering to himself, my father falling against me.
His companion ran a risk of being hurt by the violent jolts of the tarantass, but she would not complain.
Michael Strogoff | Jules VerneIt was a few tolerably rough jolts which had shaken them from their cradle.
A Houseful of Girls | Sarah TytlerErmine's quaint questions gave him delicious little mental jolts.
John Ermine of the Yellowstone | Frederic RemingtonHow ridiculously slowly these horses move, how the trap jolts!
Winged Wheels in France | Michael Myers ShoemakerBe very careful that a wedge–shaped stone cannot force itself loose by repeated jolts, or it may split a box.
How to Observe in Archaeology | Various
British Dictionary definitions for jolt
/ (dʒəʊlt) /
to bump against with a jarring blow; jostle
to move in a jolting manner
to surprise or shock
a sudden jar or blow
an emotional shock
Origin of jolt
1Derived forms of jolt
- jolter, noun
- joltingly, adverb
- jolty, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse